Rate My Professor David Burslem

Professor David Burslem is a forest ecologist and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, where he serves as the Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Environment and Biodiversity. He holds a BA and a PhD. His previous position was Reader at the University of Aberdeen. Burslem leads a research group investigating various dimensions of forest ecology, conservation, and management. His research examines the mechanisms that generate, maintain, or degrade diversity in ecological communities, with a focus on community dynamics of tropical forest trees and interactions with biotic and abiotic drivers. Key areas include plant–soil interactions, particularly partitioning of soil phosphorus resources and mycorrhizas; biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling in tropical forests, focusing on responses to anthropogenic disturbance and the role of functional and phylogenetic diversity in recovery; mechanisms and functional significance of aluminium accumulation in woody plants; management of non-native invasive plants in the UK and tropical forests using restoration methods; and conservation and restoration of forest biodiversity. As Director, he facilitates interdisciplinary connections across the University’s schools and with external partners to address climate change and biodiversity loss through research and education.

Burslem has made significant contributions to ecology through extensive publications. Highly cited works include the "TRY plant trait database–enhanced coverage and open access" (2020, cited 2159 times), "CTFS-ForestGEO: a worldwide network monitoring forests in an era of global change" (2015, cited 751 times), "Global importance of large-diameter trees" (2018, cited 663 times), "The interpretation and misinterpretation of mortality rate measures" (1995, cited 658 times), and "Ecological information from spatial patterns of plants: insights from point process theory" (2009, cited 603 times). Recent publications encompass "Availability and spatial distribution of crop and forest biomass residues for biochar production in Kenya" (2026, Scientific Reports), "A Global Synthesis Suggests Ectomycorrhizal and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Woody Plants Experience Contrasting Plant–Soil Feedbacks" (2026, Global Ecology and Biogeography), and "Crown Exposure Regulates Aboveground Wood Productivity Responses to Soil Fertility in Lowland Tropical Forests" (2025, Ecology Letters). With more than 20,500 citations, his research influences forest science, conservation biology, and global ecology efforts. He has been a Trustee of the Scottish Forestry Trust since 2021.